COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONCask; Regular. Also available in pasteurised bottle.Strong, complex and full of deep distinctive flavours. A rich fruit cake flavour from roasted malt. First brewed in the 1940s, this prize-winning dark strong old ale has a loyal following among real ale connoisseurs.

UPDATED: JUN 4, 2015 Cask @ The RopeMakers Bridport ,Dorset ; The only Palmers beer worth drinking as the rest in their catalogue of God awful beers are well fucken God awful , but when visiting my parents who have relocated to unsophisticated craft beer wasteland of Dorset - I drink this stuff ,and its pretty good as a compensation ! In a large dimpled jug - its got kinda ’old man’ beer vibes ... A nice palate , with rich winy notes , caramel, treacle , burnt toast , burnt licorice , a bit of raisin , dry burnt bitterness kinda lingers through ; Its a brooding dark brown/purple ; If youre in piss-ant Dorset , and in a shitty Palmers pub - get this ..the best of a bad bunch !

Sampled as a Christmas Edition (Tally Ho Ho Ho) from a bottle purchased in Dorset (thanks Rachel!). Pours a dark brown with a thin head. Not much carbonation. Rich aromas, and a complex taste dominated by raisins and sugared dates. Good dry hop flavour to balance the sweetness. A little cloying, but a great winter warmer.

Cask at Derehams Inn beer festival, High Wycombe. Deep amber with a thick creamy head and a light sparkle. A woody beer. A whole antique wardrobe full of old varnished wood in fact, with just a hint of toffee, chocolate and earthiness behind. As traditional as it gets, and sometimes that’s no bad thing. Possibly needs a higher abv to give it a bit more oomph and some more sweetness, but it’s a decent beer nevertheless.

Much darker than I’d imagined but plenty of caramel and licorice notes, not a huge hop flavour but you wouldn’t expect it in an Old Ale anyway. A good winter/end of session beer. The name won’t please the anti-hunting lobby and really doesn’t suit the beer but for all that I do like it.

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